Botswana’s finance ministry has doubled down on austerity, tighter expenditure controls and new revenue measures since the current administration took office, as the deepest downturn in the diamond market in years slashed government cashflows and eroded fiscal buffers.
Preliminary results for the 2024/25 financial year show total revenue and grants of P69.89 billion against spending of P81.66 billion, resulting in a deficit of P11.76 billion, or about 4.46 percent of gross domestic product. That outcome was markedly better than the P24.73 billion deficit originally projected, although the ministry cautioned the figures remain provisional. Mineral revenue contributed just 11 percent of the total, while customs and excise accounted for 39 percent.
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